Falcons Black travelled to Norwich this week to play Thoroughbreds in the England Netball Premier League Division 2 game (16/12/12). The game took some time to get going, with both the Falcons Black’s and Thoroughbreds’ defences producing a number of turnovers in the early stages. However, it was the home team that opened up the scoring after two minutes of play, which ironically seemed to settle both sides. The game then opened up and some fast through court play followed, with Falcons Black matching Thoroughbreds goal-for-goal. Further defensive pressure by Falcons Black then forced Thoroughbreds to fumble the ball off the back line, which resulted in the away team converting and finish the first quarter one goal up (11-12).

Unlike the first period, both teams started the second quarter with patient attacking play, which made it difficult for each side’s defenders to turn over balls. Falcons Black’s Kaylea McQuade (Centre, C) and Katie Flaherty (Wing Attack, WA) were working well around the edge of the attacking circle and providing a number of great feeds to shooters, Christie Simpson and Charlotte Roye. The second quarter ended even at 27-27.

Changes were made at half time with Sofija Djukic coming on at Centre (C). The third quarter started in a scrappy manner again as both defences were on top once more, each working tirelessly to turn over whatever they could. In particular, the defensive pressure from Falcons Black’s Dominique McKee (Wing Defence, WD), Lauren Steadman (Goal Defence) and Issy Beighton (Goal Keeper, GK) forced Thoroughbred’s attack into make a number of errors but unfortunately for the away team, they were unable to capitalise on the openings and finished the quarter two goals down (41-39).

Thoroughbreds came out firing for the final fifteen minutes, which saw them score the first four goals of the quarter. Falcons Black were slow to respond though and even went a further five goals down. The away team now had a mighty battle on their hands and although they managed to compete for the rest of the quarter, they could not recover from their earlier blow.

The final score was 62-52. It is a score line, which didn’t reflect the game, nor did it reflect Falcons Black’s great performance. The team had held their own for most of the match against one of the best sides in the league. The defence had worked well as a unit, whilst the attack had created a number of options, with both shooters on top scoring form.

Lincoln City 1 were struggling with injuries and absences this week when they went head-to-head against Hinckley Hurricanes. However, Laura Forsey, Zoe Cooper, Beth Sullivan and Megan Samways all played for the Imps, whilst Emily Coulter made her first appearance since September. As the game got under way, Hinckley’s tall Goal Shooter caused lots of problems for Lincoln City 1. The Imps also made some critical errors and struggled to feed the ball into attack, leaving the score 6-17 to Hinckley after the first 15 minutes. Lincoln City 1 started better in the second quarter though. The team’s attack was playing well with Laura Forsey putting some great shots up. Meanwhile, Lucy Heathershaw made a tip and interception as she fought to break down the Hinckley attack. The whole of the Imps’ team efforts were epitomised by Captain, Gemma Carter, who led by example, playing out of position at Goal Defence (GD) but still showing her versatility by giving great support in the centre court and producing a fantastic interception. Unfortunately the opposition already built up a good lead and Lincoln City 1 finished the quarter four goals behind, to trail 16-31 overall. The third quarter saw Megan Samways enter the court. Once again, Lincoln City 1 raised their game and continued to turn over possession. Emily Coulter was having a good game at Centre (C) with a few tips and an interception but unfortunately she landed off court. Hinckley changed their defence and Anna played well against their Goal Keeper. At the other end, Hinckley’s shooter missed a few shots but the Imps were unable to catch the rebounds due to her height. Although Lincoln City 1 lost the quarter by four goals again, it was a much better performance. As the last quarter began, the Imps were down 30-49 but Lincoln had the first centre, which meant they had a chance to close the gap and build some momentum. Unfortunately the team couldn’t convert but Hinckley’s shooter also missed and Lucy Heathershaw did exceptionally well to get the rebound. However, Hinckley turned over the ball again and this time they converted. Despite this, Lucy continued to have an excellent quarter. She pressurised the opposition for the remainder of the game, made at least three interceptions and managed to force Hinckley’s Goal Shooter (GS) into making mistakes, ensuring the Imps regained possession. Megan made a couple of good tips too and Emily Coulter picked up a loose ball on one occasion. Anna then stepped in on a shot from the edge of the semi-circle and scored. However, in the end it was not enough. The final score was Lincoln City 1 (the Imps) 38-65 Hinckley Hurricanes. Player of the Match went to Anna Gilbert for fantastic shooting throughout the game. Her form encouraged the rest of the team to battle through, especially in the second and third quarters. She also worked the ball around the attacking circle well.

Carla Baker started her first game for Lincoln City 2 (the Imps) at Wing Defence (WD) in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game against local rivals, Brigg and District.The Imps started strongly with Lizzie Saywell winning the Imps’ first duel of the match when she produced a fine interception early on. This was followed by a great interception by Zoe Cooper on the edge of the attacking ‘D’ shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, Lincoln 2’s drives towards the ball were too flat though, meaning they gave away possession on several occasions. This created opportunities for Brigg and District to successfully counter and Lincoln 2’s heads began to drop. The quarter finished with Brigg and District, 11-14 to the good.The second quarter saw some positional changes to the Lincoln 2 team. Megan Samways moved to Wing Defence (WD), Zoe Cooper to Centre (C) and Beth Sullivan to Wing Attack (WA). However, this didn’t stop Brigg and District starting the stronger of the two teams. Two fantastic interceptions midway through the quarter appeared to lift the Imps though. Brigg and District’s defence began to be pulled up for penalties as Lincoln pressed forward, whilst at the back Lizzie Saywell and Jade Houlton continued to work hard and makeeven more important interceptions. In a tight quarter Lincoln 2 were just edged out by just 3 goals. They trailed 20-26 at half time.The Imps began the third quarter well, scoring three goals in quick succession but the team’s performance began to dip and Brigg and District’s shooting was merciless. The Imps soon sank to a 9-goal deficit and it could have been more but for Lizzie Saywell, who was continuing to impress at Goal Keeper (GK), making yet more interceptions. An injury to Vicky Bayes then forced Lincoln City 2 to make some changes with Carla Baker coming back on at Wing Defence (WD). Megan Samways then made two brilliant interceptions but it was not enough for the Imps to close the gap. The score at the end of the third quarter was 27-37.In the final quarter, Lincoln City 2 applied great pressure, making numerous interceptions with Jade Houlton alone making three tips in a row as she fought to gain back possession of the ball. Driven on by the support from the bench the Imps gave it everything but unfortunately just couldn’t capitalise on the openings and turnovers they’d created.The final score was Lincoln City 2 (The Imps) 38-50 Brigg and District.For the third week running, Jade Houlton was voted ‘Player of the Match’ by the opposition. Meanwhile, Lizzie Saywell received ‘Best Player’ from the supporters on the bench for her numerous interceptions.

Leicestershire’s Falcons Black’s ninth game of the season took them to Worcester Reds (02/12/12). It was a stressful journey to Telford Arts College but the team managed to take to the court, prepared and ready for the game. Key strategies to focus on in the first fifteen minutes were understood by all and after aphysical but patient first quarter the score reflected how hard the team had worked and well they’d implemented their tactics. Worcester Reds led by just a solitary goal at quarter time (11-10) and Falcons Black were satisfied with their performance and ready to push on in the next quarter. Still, the East Midlands team knew they had to be more clinical in attack and stronger in defence for the next fifteen minutes, especially as the first quarter had demonstrated just how strong Worcester Reds’ Goal Shooter (GS) was.The second quarter saw Worcester Reds continue to apply pressure on Falcons Black and the home team managed to pick off some vital interceptions in both the mid court and defence. This gave Falcons Black’s opposition the opportunities they needed to increase their lead and the half-time whistle blew with the score 22-16 in Worcester Red's favour.The score line meant that Falcons Black were on the back foot during the third quarter and the team began to feel the pressure a little. This enabled Worcester Reds to reap further rewards and the score after thethird quarter was 34-21.A positive chat and encouragement from the bench was given at the break and with a couple of changes to the line-up made, Falcons Black re-grouped, ready to take to the court for the final quarter. The team looked to challenge Worcester Reds at every opportunity but unfortunately the home team's strength shone through. Their good feeds into the shooter and their physical defensive duo broke down Falcons Black’s attacks on a number of occasions, resulting in a final score of Worcester Reds 46-23 Falcons Black.Although the team lost there was also a real sense that everyone was supporting each other, both on and off the court. This team spirit will stand Falcons Black in good stead as they look work on new strategies during training in the forthcoming weeks.

This week saw the return fixture of Nottingham Knights against Sleaford Barge in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 (02/12/12). The game had all the signs of an enthralling counter and had been eagerly anticipated since Sleaford Barge’s victory by a solitary goal in their previous September clash.The game started with both sides matching each other goal-for-goal. However, as the first quarter drew to a close, Nottingham Knights began to take control. Their strong defensive pressure and accurate shooting helped them take a 17-11 lead into the first break.Knights came out 'all guns blazing' in the second quarter, turning over ball in Barges' attacking third and effortlessly working the ball down to their shooters. Despite tight defending from Barges' circle defenders, patience and accurate feeds allowed Knights’ shooters to convert. Time was called by Barge towards the end of the second quarter and resulted in a substitution. The break in play wasn't enough to unsettle Knights though and the second quarter ended with the team leading 31-21.The third quarter score matched that of the first (17-11), which meant that Knights took a strong, 16-goal lead into the final fifteenminutes (48-32).The fourth quarter was the closest of the game with Sleaford Barge working hard to close the gap. However it wasn't enough. Consistent play and precise shooting saw Nottingham Knights take the game 64-45.All in all, four consistent quarters from Nottingham Knights resulted in an impressive score line, compared to the tight first fixture.Sleaford Barge voted Nottingham Knights’ Fiona Hale (Goal Attack, GA) as their Player of the Match.Nottingham Knights team: Katy Mee (Goal Keeper, GK); Justine Drury (Goal Defence, GD); Samantha Carter (Wing Defence, WD); Daniella Gatt (Centre, C); Sophie Reed (Wing Attack, WA); Fiona Hale (Goal Attack, GA); Sophie Artley (Goal Shooter, GS).